We were lucky to catch up with Lancelot S. recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lancelot S., we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
# How I Developed My Confidence and Self-Esteem
Honestly? My confidence was built on a foundation of failure, fear, and a whole lot of showing up anyway.
When I started in real estate ten years ago in Florida, I was terrified. I’d watch other agents close deals effortlessly while I stumbled through presentations. I’d see their polished social media while mine felt awkward and forced. The voice in my head kept asking: “Who are you to think you can compete with these people?”
## The Shift: From Proving to Improving
The breakthrough came when I stopped trying to prove I belonged and started focusing on actually getting better. I threw myself into education—earning my ABR, becoming a Luxury Specialist, studying negotiation. But here’s the thing: those certifications didn’t magically give me confidence. What they did was give me *competence*, and competence is where real confidence begins.
Every course I took, every difficult transaction I navigated, every client objection I learned to handle—it was like depositing coins into a confidence bank account. Slowly, the balance grew.
## Learning to Lead by Letting Go
Building a team was another massive confidence test. As a solo agent, I controlled everything. Bringing on my wife Daria as a buyers agent, then Danielle as our inside sales agent—it meant trusting others with my reputation. That’s terrifying when you’ve built everything from scratch.
But leadership taught me something crucial: confidence isn’t about being the best at everything. It’s about knowing your strengths, acknowledging your gaps, and building a team that complements you. When I stopped trying to be Superman and started being a team leader, my self-esteem actually grew stronger.
## The Construction Leap
Expanding into construction and home building was probably my biggest confidence builder. I was already established in real estate—I could’ve stayed comfortable. But I wanted to offer clients a complete solution. That meant stepping into a new industry where I wasn’t the expert.
There were moments of serious doubt. Learning project management, dealing with contractors, managing budgets on $50K-$100K renovations—I felt like a beginner again. But I realized something: the confidence I’d built in real estate was transferable. The work ethic, the problem-solving, the commitment to excellence—those qualities traveled with me.
## Service as the Ultimate Confidence Builder
Here’s what really cemented my self-esteem: service to others. Through Sir Lancelot’s Table, Inc., our 501(c)(3) supporting orphans in Uganda, I learned that confidence grows when you focus outward instead of inward. When you’re working to change lives, your own insecurities seem smaller.
The same applies to my clients. Whether I’m helping a first-time homebuyer navigate a $350K purchase or negotiating a $6.3 million luxury property, my confidence comes from knowing I’ll do whatever it takes to serve them well. It’s not about me being impressive—it’s about me being useful.
## The Real Secret
Today, with multiple Agent of the Year awards and over $62 million in sales across 150+ properties, people sometimes assume I’ve always been confident. The truth? I still have moments of doubt. The difference now is that I’ve proven to myself—over and over—that I can figure things out.
**My confidence isn’t built on never failing. It’s built on knowing that even when I do fail, I’ll get back up, learn the lesson, and serve better next time.**
That’s the confidence that lasts. Not the loud, flashy kind—but the quiet, steady kind that says: “I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll find them. And I’ll never stop showing up.”
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**Service with excellence is our motto, and we stick to it.** That commitment, more than anything, is what gave me the confidence to build the business and life I have today.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
# Spreading the Word: The Sir Lancelot Group
I’m Lancelot, and I lead The Sir Lancelot Group—a full-service real estate and construction company serving Florida’s east coast, from Saint Augustine down to Orlando and everywhere in between. But we’re more than just another real estate team. We’re a one-stop solution for anyone looking to buy, sell, build, or renovate their dream home.
## What Makes Us Different
Here’s what sets us apart: most real estate agents can help you buy or sell a house. We can do that *and* build it from the ground up or transform it into exactly what you envision. As a licensed broker associate, licensed mortgage broker, and licensed building contractor with ten years of experience, I’ve built The Sir Lancelot Group to offer something rare—complete, integrated service from financing to property search to construction completion.
This means we can help you secure financing, find the perfect property, and then build or renovate it to match your vision—all under one roof. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer navigating the market, a luxury client looking for properties over $800K in communities like Ormond Beach’s Trails or Port Orange’s Fly-In community, or an investor seeking buy-and-hold opportunities, we’ve got you covered. And if the perfect property needs work? We handle renovations of all sizes—from $20K cosmetic updates to extensive full-scale rehabs.
## Our Markets and Expertise
We primarily serve Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Saint Augustine, Palm Coast, Orlando, Leesburg, Crescent City, and DeLand. Over the past decade, we’ve closed over 150 properties totaling more than $62 million in sales, with an average property price around $350K.
But what I’m most proud of isn’t the numbers—it’s the 80% customer retention rate. That tells me we’re doing something right. When clients come back to us again and again, and when 40% of our business comes from referrals from those repeat clients, that’s the real measure of success.
## The Team Behind the Name
Our team is small but mighty. My wife Daria works as our buyers agent when she’s not homeschooling our kids, and Danielle Boyd serves as our inside sales agent. We keep things lean and personal because every client deserves direct access to experienced professionals who genuinely care about their success.
I hold multiple certifications including Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Luxury Specialist, Negotiation Expert, and C2EX endorsement. These aren’t just letters after my name—they represent my commitment to staying at the top of my game so I can serve my clients better.
## What’s Most Exciting Right Now
Honestly? The expansion into construction and home building is what gets me fired up every morning. For years, I’d help clients find properties with potential, then watch them struggle to find reliable contractors or navigate renovation budgets. Now, we control that entire process. We can walk a client through a property, discuss the vision, provide accurate renovation estimates, and then actually execute the work.
We’re also planning to increase our focus on commercial real estate—multifamily properties, triple net leases, warehouses, and storage units. It’s a natural evolution as our clients grow their investment portfolios, and I’m excited to grow alongside them.
## Beyond Real Estate: Service to Others
What truly makes our brand unique is our commitment to service beyond transactions. Through Sir Lancelot’s Table, Inc., our 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we support orphans in Uganda and fund scholarships for gifted children. You can learn more at sirlancelotstable.org.
Closer to home, I’m deeply involved with Scouting America, where I serve as a committee member for our pack. As an Eagle Scout myself, I found this as my local endeavor—volunteering extensively and helping raise funds for activities that shape the next generation of leaders. Scouting taught me so much about service, leadership, and perseverance, and now I get to pay that forward.
This isn’t a marketing gimmick—it’s who we are. Every deal we close, every home we build, contributes to changing lives halfway around the world and right here in our community. Our clients aren’t just buying houses; they’re participating in something bigger.
## Service With Excellence
Our motto is simple: **Service with excellence is our motto, and we stick to it.** That means returning calls promptly, being honest even when it’s uncomfortable, going the extra mile when problems arise, and treating every transaction—whether it’s a $200K starter home or a $6.3 million luxury estate—with the same level of dedication.
In a market where prices have been relatively stagnant and volume slows during hurricane season and the holidays, consistency matters. We’ve built our reputation on being the team that shows up, does the work, and delivers results regardless of market conditions.
## What’s Next
We’re not actively hiring right now, but as we continue to grow, we’re looking to build a team that can eventually operate independently. The goal isn’t just to build a bigger business—it’s to create something sustainable that continues to serve our community and support our charitable work for years to come.
If you’re in the Florida market and looking for a team that combines real estate expertise, mortgage services, construction knowledge, and genuine care for your success, I’d love to connect. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (786) 449-7518. Visit our website at thesirlancelotgroup.com to see our current listings, use our home valuation tools, or learn more about how we can help you.
Whether you’re buying your first home, selling a luxury property, or transforming a fixer-upper into your dream house, we’re here to make it happen—with excellence, every single time.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
# Three Most Important Qualities, Skills, and Areas of Knowledge
Looking back over ten years of building The Sir Lancelot Group, three things stand out as absolutely critical to whatever success I’ve achieved: **continuous education and competence**, **resilience through failure**, and **genuine service to others**. Here’s what I’ve learned and what I’d tell anyone starting out.
## 1. Continuous Education and Competence
**Why it matters:** Confidence without competence is just arrogance. Real, lasting confidence comes from knowing your craft inside and out. When I started in real estate, I was intimidated by agents who seemed to have all the answers. Instead of faking it, I decided to actually become someone who had the answers.
I pursued every relevant certification I could—Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Luxury Specialist, Negotiation Expert, Certified Residential Specialist, C2EX endorsement. I got my mortgage broker license. I became a licensed building contractor. Each credential wasn’t just a piece of paper; it was a deep dive into a skill set that made me better at serving my clients.
**My advice:** Never stop learning. The market changes, technology evolves, client expectations shift. If you’re not growing, you’re falling behind. But here’s the key—don’t just collect certifications for your resume. Actually master the material. Take courses that scare you a little, that push you into areas where you’re not comfortable. That discomfort is where growth happens.
Invest in yourself before you invest in anything else. Read books, take courses, find mentors, attend conferences. When I was starting out and money was tight, I still found ways to invest in education because I knew it was the foundation everything else would be built on.
## 2. Resilience Through Failure
**Why it matters:** You’re going to fail. A lot. Deals will fall through. Clients will choose other agents. Renovations will go over budget. Market conditions will work against you. The question isn’t whether you’ll face setbacks—it’s whether you’ll let them stop you.
In my first few years, I had more failures than successes. Lost listings, blown negotiations, marketing campaigns that flopped. Each one stung. But I made a decision early on: every failure was data, not a verdict. What could I learn? What would I do differently next time?
When I expanded into construction, I felt like a beginner all over again. There were mistakes, learning curves, moments where I questioned whether I’d made the right call. But I kept showing up. I kept learning. I kept adjusting.
**My advice:** Develop a short memory for failure and a long memory for lessons. When something goes wrong, give yourself maybe 24 hours to feel bad about it. Then shift into analysis mode: What happened? Why? What can I control next time? What can’t I control, and how do I prepare for that?
Build a support system—people who believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself. For me, that’s been my wife Daria, my fellow scouts, my clients who became friends. Surround yourself with people who see your potential even when you can’t.
And here’s something nobody tells you: failure gets easier to handle the more you succeed. Not because failure hurts less, but because you’ve proven to yourself that you can bounce back. Every time you recover from a setback, you’re building resilience muscle.
## 3. Genuine Service to Others
**Why it matters:** This is the big one. You can have all the skills and all the resilience in the world, but if you’re only in it for yourself, you’ll burn out or become someone you don’t like. Service—real, genuine service—is what gives your work meaning and what builds lasting success.
When I started focusing less on “How do I close this deal?” and more on “How do I genuinely help this person?”, everything changed. My client retention rate is 80% because people know I actually care about their success, not just my commission.
The same principle applies to my work with Sir Lancelot’s Table, Inc. and Scouting America. Supporting orphans in Uganda, volunteering with my local pack, raising funds for kids’ activities—these aren’t separate from my business. They’re the heart of it. They remind me why I work so hard and who I’m ultimately working for.
**My advice:** Find ways to serve that have nothing to do with your bottom line. Volunteer. Mentor someone coming up behind you. Support causes that matter to you. Not because it’s good marketing (though it might be), but because it’s good for your soul.
In your business, make decisions through the lens of service. When you’re facing a tough choice, ask yourself: “What’s best for my client?” Not “What makes me the most money?” or “What’s easiest for me?” The irony is that when you genuinely serve people well, the money follows. But it has to be genuine—people can smell fake service a mile away.
Start every day by asking: “Who can I help today?” End every day by asking: “Did I serve with excellence?” That simple practice will transform not just your business, but your entire life.
## The Bottom Line
These three things—continuous education, resilience through failure, and genuine service—aren’t just business principles. They’re life principles. They’ve carried me through ten years of building The Sir Lancelot Group, through expanding into construction, through market ups and downs, through personal challenges and professional growth.
If you’re early in your journey, know this: you don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to commit to learning, commit to getting back up when you fall, and commit to serving others with excellence. Do those three things consistently, and success will follow. Maybe not overnight, maybe not in the way you expected, but it will follow.
**Service with excellence is our motto, and we stick to it.** That’s not just a tagline—it’s the foundation everything else is built on.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
# What Book Has Played an Important Role in Your Development?
If I had to pick one book that fundamentally changed how I approach business and life, it would be **”The Millionaire Real Estate Agent” by Gary Keller**. But honestly, my development has been shaped by a trio of books that work together like a blueprint for success: Keller’s real estate masterpiece, Tony Robbins’ “Money: Master the Game,” and Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad” along with “The Cashflow Quadrant.”
## The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: The Business Foundation
When I was starting out in real estate, I was winging it—working hard but not working smart. “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent” gave me the systems and frameworks I desperately needed.
**The most impactful nuggets:**
**1. Think a million, not a thousand.** Keller emphasizes thinking big from the start. Don’t build a business that keeps you busy; build one that creates wealth. This shifted my entire mindset from “How do I close this deal?” to “How do I build a business that generates consistent, scalable income?” That’s what led me to expand into construction and mortgage services—creating multiple revenue streams under one roof.
**2. Lead generate, lead convert, and then lead.** The book breaks success into clear stages. Early on, you’re the rainmaker. Then you learn to convert those opportunities. Finally, you build a team and lead. I’m in that transition now—building a team that can eventually operate independently while I focus on growth and strategy.
**3. The economic model.** Keller lays out the math: how many leads you need, what your conversion rate should be, what your average sale price needs to be. This took the mystery out of success. It’s not magic—it’s math. Once I understood the numbers, I could reverse-engineer my goals and know exactly what actions to take.
## Money: Master the Game: The Financial Foundation
Tony Robbins’ “Money: Master the Game” taught me how to think about wealth, not just income. As a real estate agent and contractor, I could make good money, but Robbins showed me how to make that money work for me.
**Key takeaways:**
**1. Asymmetric risk/reward.** Look for opportunities where the upside is massive and the downside is limited. This principle guides my investment decisions and even how I structure deals for clients.
**2. Automate your financial life.** Pay yourself first, automate savings and investments. This discipline has been crucial in building wealth while running a business with variable income.
**3. Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.** Starting early and staying consistent matters more than timing the market perfectly. This mindset helped me stay patient during slower market periods.
## Rich Dad Poor Dad & The Cashflow Quadrant: The Mindset Foundation
Robert Kiyosaki’s books fundamentally changed how I view money and business. “Rich Dad Poor Dad” opened my eyes to the difference between working for money and having money work for you. “The Cashflow Quadrant” showed me the path from employee to self-employed to business owner to investor.
**The wisdom that stuck:**
**1. Assets vs. liabilities.** An asset puts money in your pocket; a liability takes it out. This simple distinction guides every financial decision I make—from business investments to personal purchases.
**2. The four quadrants: E, S, B, I.** Employee, Self-Employed, Business Owner, Investor. I started as self-employed (doing everything myself), and I’m now transitioning to business owner (building systems and teams). The goal is to reach investor (money working for me). Understanding this progression gave me a roadmap.
**3. Financial education is the real wealth.** Schools don’t teach financial literacy. You have to seek it out. This inspired me to get my mortgage broker license—not just to offer another service, but to deeply understand how money and financing work.
## How These Books Work Together
Here’s the beautiful thing: these books complement each other perfectly.
– **Keller** taught me *how* to build a successful real estate business with systems and scale.
– **Robbins** taught me *what* to do with the money I earn to build lasting wealth.
– **Kiyosaki** taught me *why* I’m building this business—to create freedom, not just income.
Together, they’ve shaped The Sir Lancelot Group into more than just a real estate team. We’re building a wealth-creation engine—for ourselves, our team, and our clients. We help clients not just buy houses, but build assets. We don’t just close deals; we create financial opportunities.
## My Advice for Readers
If you’re early in your journey, read all three of these books. Don’t just read them once—revisit them as you grow. I’ve read “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent” three times, and each time I get something new because I’m at a different stage.
And here’s the most important part: don’t just read for information. Read for transformation. Take notes. Implement immediately. One idea acted upon is worth more than a hundred ideas just thought about.
These books didn’t just teach me about business and money. They taught me how to think differently, how to see opportunities others miss, and how to build something sustainable that serves others while creating wealth.
**Service with excellence is our motto, and we stick to it.** But these books taught me that excellent service and excellent business strategy aren’t opposites—they’re partners in creating lasting success.
Contact Info:
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